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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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"For me," wrote an Inmate now living in upstate New York, "The 50s and 60s were audio's golden age. It was affordable enough, that most households could have it. But for high-end audio , yeah, its golden age was the 90s."
Totem Acoustic now make the $1850 Sky, whose predecessor, the Model 1, changed our perception of minimonitors. "In the 80s," wrote the Inmate, "We all thought of mini's as screaming little bitches. But if you weren't an idiot, and didn't put the Model 1 in a big space, it was quite enchanting."
On 2/12/93, my friend ACS, then a sophomore at Cal, visited me at UC Santa Cruz. That was perhaps the first time we heard The Cranberries' "Linger." A month later, I would see and hear the Totem Model 1 at the 1993 Stereophile Show in San Francisco. In summer 1994, when ACS was introduced to Totem (by then Totem had produced other models), she flashed her ebullient smile, and glibly laughed, "Sounds like scrotum . Does it have balls?"
In Fall 1994, The Cranberries came out with a new album, No Need To Argue . ACS liked "Twenty One." And actually, ACS turned 21 years-old, in 1995. At the time, I had old speakers, with the ubiquitous "simulated wood grain" black-colored vinyl wrap. I have lived for years, with various Totem speakers. Yet, none came in the "black ash" finish. The Sky is available in this "black ash," which is a cheesy, plastic-y, "grain textured" affair. Still, it is a step up, from the vinyl-wrapped speakers of yore.
"I still love this picture," taken in the mid-90s on the San Mateo coast, ACS recently remarked. "Sometimes, you have to fudge the truth a little. It doesn't show my ugly face. It doesn't show my scars, scabs, [body] hairs, and skin blems. It doesn't show that my [head] hair was dry and frizzy. The white dress doesn't make me look tubby and fat. It doesn't show how COLD the water was. And thank god there's no smell; I stank that day."
The Sky is available in a "satin white" finish. It's kind of a matte plastic finish. To us, the Sky looks best in this "satin white." If you have white walls, though, be careful. Not seeing the white Sky, you might run into it!
In the mid-90s, hair dye got better. Even if you didn't change the color of your hair, all of the girls got highlights. Today, with the COVID shutdowns, hair salons are not always open. Thus, many girls haven't had their hair treated in over a year. Such is the case with our friend's daughter, who goes to, you guessed it, Cal.
Sorry, the Totem Sky in mahogany is nowhere near as nice as a girl's highlights or hair dye. In sunlight, or when the room lights are on, the mahogany finish is a black-and-brown ribbon, with a sometimes reddish hue. And it has the same cheesy grain/texture as the "black ash." ACS has referred to this mahogany as "bad hair dye," a "can of chili," and, especially in low light, "bland dark chocolate."
Search the internet for photos of used Totem speakers. Regardless of color, Totem's veneer gets dented scratched, gouged, and chipped very easily. Sonically, the Sky can get you to dance and flail enthusiastically. And if you get too carried away, you might accidentally hit the speakers, and mar or damage the finish.
Damn it, damn it, damn it; maybe audio products should not be shown to ACS. She spied the Muller tweeter, and blabbed, "Looks like a rolled-up condom. Or more like a Softcup!" The woofer is from Morel.
Actually, ACS wishes that the Softcup had been available decades ago. "It would have come in handy, for sports, martial arts, and swimming." On the front baffle, the Sky's top and side edges are rounded.
"I've always liked looking at men's rears," admits ACS. She wishes that the Sky's rear panel were rounded (like the front), not beveled. The port opens to the rear. The tube's black-colored paint is said to help reduce vibrations.
Whether or not the 2020s turn out to be another golden age for home audio, if you are interested in the Totem Sky, do keep its aesthetics in mind. Perhaps as far back as 1992, ACS used to say, "If we're going to spend this much on audio, it at least better look good!"
-Lummy The Loch Monster
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Topic - Totem Sky, Part 4 - Luminator 21:08:04 02/18/21 (0)
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